"Our trams scream 'Gold Coast' with the yellow representing the sun and sand and the blue the ocean. They're also the only trams in the world with surfboard racks."

Fifty tram drivers from a diverse range of backgrounds have been hired.

They include former adult shop worker Sabrina Stewart, 34, who said she was looking for a new career direction.

"It's a big company, a chance to learn new skills and get out and meet the people," she said.

Fellow tram drivers Andrew Holt and Andy Lesleighter said excitement was building on the Gold Coast as the light-rail neared completion after several years of construction chaos.

"We're almost like celebrities with people coming up taking photos of us while we're testing the trams. We've even had a few people trying to hop on at the stations," Mr Holt, a former Queensland Rail stationmaster, said.

He said drivers had to have their wits about them, with many locals and tourists yet to get used to the arrival of trams.

Last week, an elderly motorist crashed into a tram being tested in Southport.

"The vehicles are very quiet and a lot of people are unaware we're around," Mr Holt said.

"We've had people walking on the tram lines talking on their mobile phones or performing illegal U-turns in front of the trams. We have to be extra-vigilant and so do the public."

Ms King said 'word on the street' two years ago was 'quite negative' towards the Gold Coast trams.

"But now that there is light at the end of the tunnel, community perceptions have changed and people have gone from saying 'how can I stop the trams?' to 'when do they start?" she said.

* * *

Tram facts:

* $1.2 billion Gold Coast light rail opens in June.

* 13km light-rail network runs from Griffith University and Gold Coast University Hospital (Parklands) to Broadbeach.

* 14 trams in total, each 42m long and capable of carrying 309 passengers

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